“I Was All Freaked Out”: Former World No. 1 Surfer Describes ‘Scary’ Yet ‘Surreal’ Encounter With Great White Sharks

Published 04/15/2023, 5:32 PM EDT

Australian surfing icon Jack Robinson has been clinching accolades in the surfing realm since he was just an 11-year-old kid. Now, 25, the surfer has accomplished a hoard full of achievements in his beloved arena. He took home the Surfer of the Year title for two consecutive years (2020 and 2021) and stood atop the podium of Australian Surfing awards. However, in his spree of chasing big barrels, the 25-year-old once got into the radar of great white sharks and almost fell prey to its clutches.

In March 2023, the Australian surfer appeared in an episode of the Jamie O’Brien podcast, where he opened up about his brush with Great White Shark. As per the surfer, the entire episode was “pretty surreal” and “quite scary”.

Jack Robinson pulled off the curtains from his encounter with the ocean’s predators

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In the first episode of the Jamie O’Brien podcast, the 25-year-old profoundly chatted about his accomplishments, surfing prompts, and the most ferocious surfing mishaps that he fell prey to. Describing his close call with sharks, the surfer stated, “I was walking up the beach. The waves are super good”. He continued, “There’s nobody out and it’s pretty dark and cloudy”. Given the setting of the beach, Robinson girded up his loins to surf the waves all alone.

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Following this, the surfer went in to paddle the barrels. As he came out of the first barrel, he saw a “foam ball” advancing in his direction. It turned out, the foam in the waves was created by nothing but the great white shark. Nevertheless, his coping mechanism kicked in, and he started paddling toward the shore. Fortunately, Robinson made it to the reef without falling victim to the shark’s predatory clutches. Recalling the encounter, he asserted, “I was all freaked out”. Though the surfer made it to the safety of the shore, the incident scared him to the core.

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Nevertheless, the second shark incident came five years later. The surfer was catching waves with his friends and got in proximity to the great white shark. However, this time the jet ski saved the surfer from the inevitable. “Lucky enough the jet ski came in between us and the shark”, conceded Robinson. First time, he acted in a reflex and with his unparallel moxie he made it to the reef. However, in the second encounter, fortunately the jet ski intervened and he once again got out safely.

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Written by:

Purva Jain is a senior sports writer for Essentially Sports. With her expertise in surfing, Purva has a deep passion for the ocean and a love for the thrill of big waves. Author of ‘Gold and Brown’, ‘Chasing the North Star’ and ‘Light Beneath the Shadows’, Purva idolizes Kelly Slater, taking to heart his famous quote, "There's always a wave you want to surf.

Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra

“I Was All Freaked Out”: Former World No. 1 Surfer Describes ‘Scary’ Yet ‘Surreal’ Encounter With Great White Sharks

Jack Robinson pulled off the curtains from his encounter with the ocean’s predators

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